Prometheus Released Today, May Change the Way Movies Are Released

Ridley Scottʼs sci-fi film Prometheus is on shelves now, three weeks before the October 11th release date. Wait, what?

Ridley Scott ,no stranger to either science fiction or technology, today did a very science fiction move and released his pseudo-Alien prequel digitally, three weeks ahead of traditional terrestrial release. Itʼs available on digital services including iTunes and Amazon, as well as the Playstation Network and Xbox Live for $14.99, which nets you (at least on iTunes) an HD copy, standard-def copy as well as a few of the extras that are scheduled for the disc release, including extended and deleted scenes. The price is also ten dollars cheaper than the price of the Blu-Ray copy on Amazon. As far as I can tell, itʼs not the extended version Scott has mentioned in interviews, but if youʼre a fan of Prometheus or just donʼt want another box on your shelf, this is a treat.

Whatʼs more important to me is the fact that a big-budget box office movie is being released in a very new and fresh way. Digital releases have long been in the realm of bonus content (Wes Anderson released his short Hotel Chevalier ahead of Darjeeling Limited, making it available for free on iTunes before attaching it to the theatrical release of Limited) or independent films, so having a major director and studio try their hand at digital release feels fresh, and even if itʼs just the regular edition with no director cuts or bonus material, itʼs a very viable way to do business, and one that more studios would do well to adopt with future releases. The digital sale of Prometheus could goad plenty of directors to consider the path. Music has been released digitally in the same way for a decade now. What better time to upgrade how we buy movies?

Grab it today!
Check back in three weeks when I review the Blu-Ray copy of Prometheus to see if itʼs worth occupying your shelf.